NFL legend Tom Brady stunned fans by revealing his dog Junie is a clone of his late pit bull mix, Lua, who died in 2023. Brady worked with Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas-based biotech firm aiming to “fix extinction,” using a simple blood draw before Lua’s death to create a genetic duplicate. The process, called somatic cell nuclear transfer, costs about $50,000 and has an 80% success rate. Brady, an investor in Colossal, said:

“Colossal gave my family a second chance with a clone of our beloved dog.”

The company recently acquired Viagen, known for cloning pets for celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Paris Hilton, and claims to have cloned 15 species, including endangered animals.

The political world mourns Dick Cheney, former U.S. Vice President under George W. Bush, who died at 84 from complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. Cheney, a key architect of the Iraq War and one of the most powerful VPs in U.S. history, had battled heart disease for decades, surviving five heart attacks and a transplant in 2012. His family said:

“We are blessed beyond measure to have loved and been loved by this noble giant of a man.”

Cheney’s legacy includes expanding executive power and shaping post-9/11 security policy. In recent years, he became a fierce critic of Donald Trump, calling him “a greater threat to our republic than any individual in history”.

Geopolitical tensions spike as Russia signals it could supply Venezuela with hypersonic missiles, capable of Mach 10 speeds and carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. Alexei Zhuravlyov, deputy chair of Russia’s defense committee, said there are “no obstacles” to arming Caracas, warning the U.S. “may be in for surprises.” The move follows U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and lethal strikes on suspected drug traffickers. Analysts warn this could echo the Cuban Missile Crisis, placing advanced weapons within range of U.S. shores.

Meanwhile, Texans are increasingly Googling how to “leave America”. A MoveBuddha study shows Texas ranks 15th nationwide for emigration-related searches, with queries like “easiest countries to move to” and “best countries for healthcare.” France tops Texans’ dream destinations, followed by England and Germany. Experts cite rising living costs, political polarization, and job insecurity as drivers of this trend.

In tech drama, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was served a subpoena live on stage during a sold-out talk in San Francisco. A public defender jumped onstage, handing over papers as the crowd booed. Altman is required to testify in a trial involving activist group Stop AI, which staged non-violent protests against OpenAI. They claim its pursuit of superintelligence poses an “existential threat to humanity.” The group says the trial will be the first to ask a jury about AI’s extinction risk.

Real estate markets around New York are in a frenzy as millionaires flee Manhattan amid fears of a socialist mayor. Dubbed the “Mamdani Effect”, bidding wars in Westchester and Connecticut have pushed prices hundreds of thousands above asking. Agents report homes selling in days, often all-cash, as wealthy buyers seek refuge from proposed tax hikes and rent freezes under Zohran Mamdani, who won NYC’s mayoral race.

Finance circles buzz after Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, renewed his push for digital IDs tied to tokenized assets – a system critics warn could morph into a global social credit score. Fink argues digital identity is “essential” for blockchain-based finance, but privacy advocates fear centralized control could restrict access based on behavior, echoing China’s model. BlackRock, managing over $10 trillion, is spearheading this transformation alongside global institutions like the IMF and WEF.

Finally, the U.S. Space Force is deploying two new ground-based jammers – Meadowlands and Remote Modular Terminals – to disrupt Chinese and Russian surveillance satellites. Operable remotely from anywhere, these systems join the existing Counter Communications System, giving the Pentagon three acknowledged counter-space weapons. China now fields over 1,200 satellites, including 510 ISR platforms, prompting Washington to bolster its electromagnetic warfare capabilities.